Book Review: Chloe’s Secret Princess Club by Emma Barnes

Welcome back to Book Review Monday’s and the first stop on the blog tour today. This week’s review is of the kids book Chloe’s Secret Princess Club (Chloe’s Secret Club)

I’m also hosting a giveaway of the book with 3 winners. But more about that later on.

I’ve always loved reading kids books. I’m a big kid at heart! They are quick and easy reads when you have some spare minutes. In fact it took me just an hour to read Chloe’s Secret Princess Club.

Book Description

Chloe never means to get into trouble but sometimes her plans get a little out of control. With her two best friends, she forms a Secret Club dedicated to making their dreams come true – but fantasy and reality don’t always mix!

Chloe's Secret Princess Club

My Review

I love the pink sparkly front cover. It’s that perfect book for your little princess.

The book introduces us to Chloe, a natural-born dreamer. Her head is away in the clouds most of the time so she’s misses what’s going on around her.

One day she heads home from school with a very disappointing mental maths score in which her obnoxious twin brother  Arther is quick to point out. You see while the test was going on, Chloe was dreaming again. Her parents know what Chloe is like and her mum tells her that she can be anyone she wants if she only puts her mind to it.

Chloe takes this as meaning she can be a real princess. She includes two friends, Aisha and Eliza into her secret and they all form the secret princess club. All three of them come up with their own princess names, secret tasks to undertake and make sure they have lots of sleepovers.

I enjoyed reading along with all their tasks and any little girl would really enjoy this book.

I love the little extras the book includes such as the jam tarts recipe as the back of the book in which the princesses make in the book. Also a little quiz and a how-to guide on starting your own princess club.

I’m very happy to give Chloe’s Secret Princess Club 5 out of 5 stars.

Information about the Book

Title: Chloe’s Secret Princess Club

Author: Emma Barnes

Illustrator: Monique Dong

Release Date: 1st September 2016

Genre: Young Fiction

Publisher: Scholastic

Here is the list of other bloggers on the Chloe’s Secret Princess Club blog tour. Why not pop over the next week and read all our reviews.

Chloe's Secret Princess Club blog tour

Now onto the exciting part!

I’m giving away 3 copies of Chloe’s Secret Princess Club to 3 winners in the UK or IRL. All you have to do is fill in the Rafflecopter below. Good Luck! x

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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*I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Terms and Conditions – There are 3 copies of Chloe’s Secret Princess Club to giveaway. The prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered. The winners will be selected at random via Rafflecopter.com from all valid entries and be notified by Twitter. The winners will have 14 days to respond with a valid address before a new winner is selected. Open to all UK and IRL entrants aged 18 or over only. Facebook and Twitter are in no way associated with this giveaway.

*I am a part of the Amazon affiliate scheme, so if you click on the link to buy I will receive a little back. So thanks if you do.

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Book Review: Following Evan by Elida May

This week’s Book Review Monday Is a special one as I’m a part of a blog book tour.

I’m very excited to be a part of the Following Evan by Elida May blog book tour. The week before last on the 16th I was lucky enough to be a part of the release day blitz for Following Evan.

The story intrigued me from the moment I read the information I was given about this novel. I always like to set myself little questions from what I gather from the blurb and look forward to finding out the questions while I’m reading along.The questions I gave myself for Following Evan were: What made Laura one day decide that she has finished grieving? Who is this mysterious stranger in New York? What does a woman in a dress from a painting have to do with this book?I’m eager to find out, are you?

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Book Review: A Personalised Bobadeg Book

When the people at Bobadeg offered me one of their gorgeous personalised children’s books to review I jumped at the chance!
They are also going to let me give two books away to you, my readers.
Bobadeg
Image courtesy of  Bobadeg
Now lets hear what Bobadeg is about:

 “Bobadeg is based in the UK and has developed a range of fun and educational, personalised books for children aged 5 and under. Our aim is that each of our products provide a unique learning adventure for each child that makes them feel special.   
All of our books can be personalised with your child’s photo and name.   A number of our customers comment on how proud their child or grandchild feels when they receive their book and how often they go back to it once they have received it.”

Their personalised kids books are aimed at children aged 5 and under. But my daughter is only 4 months old and is fascinated by all the bright colours, and I love to read the story to her. I do think if she got hold of it though it would end up a chewed mess! So for now I will just hold and read it to her. Until she is older to understand it.
 
Book Designs
There are 7 designs of the Bobadeg books you can choose from.
  • Fairy Garden
  • Funny Fish
  • I can Fight Dragons – Boys Version
  • I can Fight Dragons – Girls Version
  • Jiggly Juggly Journey
  • Swirly Twirly Kite
  • That’s Poo!
As you can see from the photo below I chose The Fairy Garden version

 

Bobadeg Personalised Kids Book
I think what makes the book really special is as well as adding your child’s name and photo you can also have a personal message placed inside the front cover.
Bobadeg Personalised Kids Book
 
 
How To Create Your Personalised Bobadeg Book
There are 3 simple steps on the Bobadeg website to help you create your personalised book.
 
STEP 1 – PICK A BOOK from one of their great designs.
STEP 2 – PICK A SIZE: You can choose between a standard size book and free bookmark or a mini book which is like the one I received above.
STEP 3 – PERSONALISATION DETAILS – Simply fill in their personalisation boxes to let them know:
a) Your child’s first name,
b) The message you would like to appear on the inside cover of the book
c) A photo of your child facing the camera
Bobadeg Personalised Kids Book



I just have to point out that on the back of the mini book was some of the other books in the series with their personalised front covers. I really love this little touch as it’s great to see what the other books would look like if you decide to get more from the series.

Bobadeg Personalised Kids Book

 

I think they are great little books and make perfect little birthday presents. Therefore I am giving the personalised Bobadeg books a 5 out of 5 stars rating.
 
 
* I received this personalised mini book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Review: Let There Be Linda by Rich Leder

This week’s book for Book Review Monday’s is a little out of the ordinary for my usual type of read. It really is a strange little read!
So I was asked if I would like to review Let There Be Linda by Rich Leder. Now I normally read crime/thrillers with some chick lit and YA thrown in. I have never read a cross genre type of book before like this one. Its a mix of comedy and thriller. A bit different I know, but one I’d like to give a go and pleased I did. My review is found below.
Let There Be Linda by Rich Leder


 Book Description

Leder’s black comic caper tells the tall tale of estranged brothers Mike and Dan Miller—accountant and con-man talent agent respectively—up to their necks in the virtual quicksand of LA’s San Fernando Valley during the hottest summer in Southern California history.

The root cause of their problems could be the missing seventy-five thousand dollars, or the sadistic, loan shark dwarf and his vicious giant, or the psycho comedian cop on the case, or the coke-snorting dentist, or the deranged zombie real estate developer. Or perhaps it’s the poodle—the poodle is suspect, no doubt. Or maybe it’s the grocery store checker who breathes life into death. Oh yes, it could be her too.

And so to repair the head-on collision the Millers have made of their personal and professional lives, the brothers summon their mother back from the dead to clean up the wreckage. But what the Miller men discover is that screwing with the laws of nature is forever and always a violent, bloody, hysterical, and hilarious idea.


 My Review

Rich Leder is a great comedy thriller writer. He just draws you into the story. I am not sure how he does it though. 


The first page had me hooked. I love thrillers but this is the first time I have ever read a dark comedy thriller. That’s exactly what this book is – dark and very much twisted, and will make you laugh like never before!

Leder describes the characters with much enthusiasm and makes them unforgettable to the reader. You can tell he cares about each and every one of them. I love the way that all the characters intertwine with each other. You will be laughing!

There is some adult language in this book, so just be warned if that is something you are not too keen on reading. 

It must have been a hard book to write with the mount of comedy included alongside the thriller element. Leder deserves a lot of credit for this.

I have given Let There Be Linda by Rich Leder 5 out of 5 stars.

ibooks Edition 

What do you think of this book? 

Is it something you would love to try?

 You can pre-order Let There Be Linda Today. It is released on July 1st 2016.


Disclosure: I was  given this book to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I am a part of the Amazon Affiliates scheme so if you click the link and order, I will receive a little back, at no extra cost to you. Thanks if you do. x

Book Review: Six Tudor Queens – Katherine of Aragon by Alison Weir

I was ecstatic to receive a hardback copy of Katherine of Aragon The True Queen by Alison Weir in the post the other week from Bookbridgr. I am a huge fan of British history especially the Tudor era. I get my love of history from my mum. She has hundreds of history books and I’m definitely going to pass this book onto her. 
I have never heard of the author Alison Weir before I came upon this book. I am more familiar with Philippa Gregory’s series of books. I am so glad I discovered  the first book of The Six Tudor Queen series. That’s right, this book is the first of six, detailing the lives of all Henry VIII’s six wives. 
Do you remember the rhyme from school to remember how they all died? It’s one of the things I still remember from history class funnily enough. 
Katherine of Aragon – Divorced
Anne Boleyn – Beheaded
Jane Seymour – Died
Anne of Cleves – Divorced
Catherine Howard – Beheaded
Catherine Parr – Survived
Six Tudor Queens - Katherine of Aragon The True Queen by Alison Weir

Book Description

A Spanish princess. Raised to be modest, obedient and devout. Destined to be an English Queen.
Six weeks from home across treacherous seas, everything is different: the language, the food, the weather. And for her there is no comfort in any of it. At sixteen years-old, Catalina is alone among strangers.
She misses her mother. She mourns her lost brother.
She cannot trust even those assigned to her protection.
KATHERINE OF ARAGON. The first of Henry’s Queens. Her story.
Six Tudor Queens - Katherine of Aragon The True Queen by Alison Weir
My Review

Katherine of Aragon The True Queen is a very beautiful book. My first impression was wow! It’s got a stunning inside cover beautifully designed. A lovely portrait of Katherine of Aragon. As you turn the first couple of pages you come across her family tree. One side is of her Spanish ancestors and the other is of the English Tudor period of 1501. This book tells us her life story from when she first came to England in 1501 to marry Henry VII’s son Arthur who wasn’t a very well person.
She then moves on to marry Henry VIII of course and they have a daughter Mary. Katherine tries to give him a son but is unsuccessful. So Henry decides to divorce her and move on to someone who can. Anne Bolelyn.

Alison Weir is a fantastic historian writer. She makes you feel as if your are right there in the book. You must remember though its a novel not a non-fiction book. Weir puts her own spin on Katherine of Aragon and makes her the centre of the story. This is her journey not Henry VIII’s which I really love. 
I really cannot wait until the next book is out. Anne Bolelyn’s story is probably the most famous one and I have to admit my favourite.
Thanks to Bookbridgr for my advanced copy.
I have given Six Tudor Queens: Katherine of Aragon by Alison Weir 5 out of 5 stars.
Hardback Edition 597 pages
Published 5th May by Headline Review

Are you a fan of The Tudors?


*I am a part of the Amazon Affiliate scheme so if you click on a link to Amazon and buy, I will receive a little bit back, so thanks if you do.

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Book Review: Geek Girl (head over heels) by Holly Smale

Hello! It’s book review Monday again. This week I have read one of the books from the Geek Girl series called Head Over Heels by Holly Smale. The Geek Girl series are about Harriet Manners, a 15 year old geek. Harriet is not a trendy teenager and really doesn’t like fashion. Her best friend Nat does though, she aspires to be a model. 
Geek Girl-Bookreview

Book Description:

“My name is Harriet Manners, and I will always be a geek.”

The fifth book in the bestselling, award-winning GEEK GIRL series.

Harriet Manners knows almost every fact there is.

She knows duck-billed platypuses don’t have stomachs.

She knows that fourteen squirrels were once detained as spies.

She knows only one flag in the world features a building.
And for once, Harriet knows exactly how her life should go. She’s got it ALL planned out. So when love is in the air, Harriet is determined to Make Things Happen!
If only everyone else would stick to the script…
Has GEEK GIRL overstepped the mark, and is following the rules going to break hearts all over again?

Geek Girl-bookreview
My Review:
This is my first encounter of the Geek Girl series. I am really glad I have had the chance to read it. It’s fabulous! Funny, original, smart and of course sassy! The perfect read for any teenage girl. That’s my opinion anyway as a 33 year old mum!
Although this is the 5th book in the series, I don’t feel as If I have missed anything, by starting with this one, as there was a little recap. I may be wrong though. I do think I will dig out the other 4 as it’s such a great series.
So in Head Over Heels Harriet is single and preparing for her exams. Romance does crop up in this book for Harriet and I get the feeling she is growing up. The characters round Harriet are fun and so loveable. The author Holly Smale really has an amazing series on her hands, and I hear there is a 6th book on the way. The book is well written, and perfect in many ways. 
I was sent this great young adult novel to review. I do recommend it’s for ages 11-15 year olds but if you fancy something easy to read on a hot summer’s day this one is for you.
I have given Geek Girl-Head Over Heels by Holly Smale 5 out of 5 stars.
Hardback Edition 416 pages
Published 7th April 2016 by HarperCollins Children’s Books

The Secret Diary of Agent Spitback

Disclosure: I was given Geek Girl Head over Heels to review. All the opinions and views expressed are my own. I am also a part of the Amazon Affiliate scheme so if you click on a link to Amazon and buy, I will receive a little bit back, so thanks if you do.